World Bank finalised three important projects in Karachi
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KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah in a follow-up meeting with a four-member World Bank delegation led by its Country Director Patchamuthu Illangovan finalised three important projects for Karachi.
The meeting was attended by World Bank’s Operations Manager Ms. Melinda Good, Operation Officer Ms. Amena Raja, Program Leader Saiyed Shabih Ali Mohib and Sindh Chairman Planning and Development Mohammad Waseem, Principal Secretary to CM Sajid Jamal Abro, Additional Secretary CM Secretariat Shahab Qamar and others, said a statement on Wednesday.
In the meeting, the first project which came under discussion was Urban Management Project.
Under this project, the capacity building of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and six District Municipal Corporations (DMCs) would be developed and institutional reforms would also be introduced.
Ways and means would also be explored and implemented for enhancement of property tax in the city.
The CM said that he has already devolved property tax to local bodies but now they would have to build a mechanism to collect it from their respective areas.
Under the Urban Management project institutional reforms would also be introduced in Karachi Water & Sewerage Board.
Metering and billing system would also be established with major restructuring the board. Treatment Plant known as TP-IV of 200 MGD Korangi would be installed.
The Yellow Line Project was also discussed and the world Bank, in principal agreed to construct the entire infrastructure of BRT Yellow Line starting from Dawood Chowrangi to Numaish, would be 21 kilometers long project.
Syed Murad Ali Shah said that it was an important project for this city and it would be a great service to this city.
He said that there were some procurement issues in 12 on-going World Bank projects in Sindh as these projects are in progress in Irrigation, Agriculture, health, education and nutrition sectors.
Syed Murad Ali Shah said that these 12 projects have 12 different project directors and they all were making procurement on their own but through different and time consuming approach.
He proposed the World Bank to set up a separate unit under which procurement for all the World Bank projects could be made under one-umbrella.
Chairman P&D Mohammad Waseem presented two options for the procurement unit and said the unit could cover only the on-going projects or be given the domain of only new projects.
The meeting decided that the World Bank officers would hold another meeting with Chairman P&D to give final shape to the projects so that they could be approved in the third meeting. - APP
